U.S. patent number 8,317,019 [Application Number 12/544,086] was granted by the patent office on 2012-11-27 for golf ball picker basket and method.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Christopher J. Cruce. Invention is credited to Christopher J. Cruce, James Graham.
United States Patent |
8,317,019 |
Cruce , et al. |
November 27, 2012 |
Golf ball picker basket and method
Abstract
There is disclosed a method and a basket for use with a golf
ball range picker having a support frame. The basket may include a
pair of inwardly offset handles in the basket side walls for ease
of lifting when a series of two or more like baskets are arranged
in a closely spaced side by side configuration. A pair of front
edges of front side wall sections are each tapered outwardly toward
the front to minimize or at least greatly reduce the surface area
formed by abutting vertical edges with a like basket, to help guide
the golf balls being thrown by the range picker into the baskets,
and not deflect them inadvertently away from entering the baskets
by otherwise providing thick abutting vertical edges which could
block the path of travel of the golf balls. A front flange is
disposed substantially along the entire length of the front of the
basket for resting securely on a front portion of the support
frame, and a rear flange is adapted for resting securely on a back
portion of the support frame.
Inventors: |
Cruce; Christopher J. (Poway,
CA), Graham; James (Santa Paula, CA) |
Assignee: |
Cruce; Christopher J. (Poway,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
43604440 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/544,086 |
Filed: |
August 19, 2009 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20110042250 A1 |
Feb 24, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/315.9;
220/661; 220/676 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
47/00 (20130101); A63B 57/20 (20151001) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
85/00 (20060101); B65D 6/40 (20060101); B65D
25/54 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;206/509-511,315.9,504
;220/509,516,661,676,23.2 ;D9/424,425 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Range Sweep--Golf Ball Picker, [online], [retrieved on Mar. 1,
2011]. Retrieved from Eastern Golf Corporation website. <URL:
http://www.easterngolf.com/range1.htm>. cited by other .
NER Range Pickers, [online], [retrieved on Aug. 7, 2009]. Retrieved
from New England Range Service website. <URL:
http://newenglandrange.com/Range.aspx>. cited by other .
Range Servant, [online], [retrieved on Aug. 7, 2009]. Retrieved
from Range Servant website. <URL:
http://www.rangeservant.us/index.php>. cited by other .
Hollrock--Division of Pareto Golf Inc., [online], [retrieved on
Aug. 7, 2009]. Retrieved from Hollrock--Division of Pareto Golf
Inc. website. <URL:
http://www.hollrock.com/Pareto/EditModule.aspx?tabid=61&def=Pare-
to%20Product%20Detail&Itemid=501&mid=355>. cited by
other.
|
Primary Examiner: Yu; Mickey
Assistant Examiner: Desai; Kaushikkumar
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kleinke; Bernard L. Duckor
Spradling Metzger & Wynne
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A basket for use with a golf ball range picker having a support
frame, comprising: a substantially rectangular wall structure
defining a vertical wall structure including a front wall, a rear
wall, and a pair of side walls; a bottom wall integrally connected
to the vertical wall structure; the front wall including a bottom
portion integrally connected to the bottom wall and the side walls,
a rectangular opening disposed above the bottom portion for
admitting the golf balls to the basket, and an elongated front
flange defining substantially the entire length of a bottom of the
opening and for resting on top of a front portion of the range
picker support frame; the front flange having a rounded
convex-shaped smoothly contoured non-blunt upper surface portion
for the golf balls to glide over into the basket and a rounded
concave shaped lower portion extending unrestrictedly for receiving
the picker support frame along a continuous line of engagement
therewith; the rear wall including a rear flange portion at about
the same height above the bottom wall as the front flange for
resting on top of a rear portion of the range picker support frame
to support the basket between the front and rear flanges; the rear
flange projecting rearwardly from a portion of the rear wall and
being a bottom portion of a rearwardly projecting rear flange
section being U-shaped in horizontal cross section with a solid
base portion and a U-shaped vertical open-frame wall; each of the
side walls including an inwardly disposed offset an open-frame
handle section and an outwardly angled tapered section integrally
connected to the front wall; wherein the basket includes a
plurality of rectilinear and cross rib members to form in a
one-piece open-frame construction composed entirely of plastic
material and including openings, the openings in the open-frame
construction being sized to confine golf balls within the basket;
wherein each of the handle sections are disposed inwardly of the
outermost outwardly angled tapered sections to provide space for a
fingers of a user to grasp the handle sections to lift the basket
from the picker support frame when a like basket is disposed
adjacent thereto; wherein each of the outwardly angled tapered
section diverge outwardly in horizontal section from the open frame
handle sections to the rectangular opening and terminate in a front
vertical edge tapered in horizontal section to mate with another
tapered edge of an tapered front vertical edge of another outwardly
angled tapered section of a like basket disposed adjacent thereto
to form a narrow area of engagement to facilitate receiving the
golf balls; and a pair of rounded corners sections in the
horizontal section, each of the corner sections joining integrally
the rear wall and one of the side walls and including the plurality
of rectilinear and cross rib members to form the one-piece
open-frame construction.
2. The basket according to claim 1, wherein the bottom wall is
convex to provide strength and durability to the basket.
3. The basket according to claim 1, wherein the bottom wall is
convex and includes a downwardly depending spacer for supporting
the bottom wall when the basket is on a substantially flat
surface.
4. The basket according to claim 1, wherein the tapered front
vertical edge adjacent to the rectangular opening of each of the
outwardly tapered sections is for mating with a tapered front
vertical edge of the like basket to form the narrow area to deflect
golf balls into the basket.
5. The basket according to claim 1, further including a reinforced
rib section disposed at the top of the rear and side walls.
6. The basket according to claim 1, wherein the front flange
includes a concave-shaped lower portion to improve durability.
7. The basket according to claim 1, wherein the front flange
includes a convex-shaped upper portion to create the non-blunt
surface for the golf balls to glide over.
8. The basket according to claim 1, wherein the handle section
includes a pair of vertical ribs allowing like baskets to be
stacked on top of one another.
9. The basket according to claim 1, wherein the rear flange portion
includes a convex-shape lower portion to improve durability.
10. The basket according to claim 1, wherein the bottom wall
includes a base edge having a radius to promote gliding along the
ground and to resist catching on the ground and damage from off
axis impacts.
11. The basket according to claim 1, wherein a front vertical edge
adjacent to the rectangular opening of each of the outwardly
tapered sections is for mating with a front vertical edge of the
like basket to form the narrow area to deflect golf balls into the
basket.
12. The basket according to claim 1, further including a reinforced
rib section disposed at the top of the rear and side walls.
13. The basket according to claim 1, wherein the handle section
includes a pair of vertical ribs allowing like baskets to be
stacked on top of one another.
14. The basket according to claim 1, wherein the bottom wall
includes a base edge having a radius to promote gliding along the
ground and to resist catching on the ground and damage from off
axis impacts.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to a golf ball ranger
range picker basket and a method of making it. It more particularly
relates to a method and basket for receiving and storing golf
balls, for use with a range picker at a golf ball driving range
where the range picker is moved along the ground to retrieve golf
balls from the ground and transports them to baskets carried on
board the range picker.
BACKGROUND ART
There is no admission that the background art disclosed in this
section legally constitutes prior art.
A driving range is a place golfers go to practice their golf shots
and typically may include a substantially large parcel of land for
the golfers to hit golf balls provided by the driving range
operator. The driving range operator must retrieve golf balls hit
by the golfers to make them available for reuse by other golfers.
To collect the golf balls, range operators use a device called a
golf ball range picker that carries usually a pair of metal, open
frame wire baskets for receiving the golf balls as the range picker
is typically pushed or pulled by a vehicle or manually by
personnel, and retrieves the golf balls scattered on the ground and
projects them into the baskets carried on board.
Such baskets used with golf ball range pickers for the collection,
transportation, and storage of golf balls frequently found at golf
driving ranges, have been typically manufactured from metal rods
welded or otherwise suitably fixed together, to form a metal wire
frame basket construction. Baskets so formed have been made of an
open frame construction, wherein interconnected metal rod elements
have been spaced from one another to form gaps or openings. The
openings are sufficiently small in size to confine the golf balls
within the basket. However, they are sufficiently large in size to
permit the user to readily perceive the group of golf balls stored
within the basket.
While such metal wire baskets have been satisfactory for some
applications, they have been susceptible to being damaged by rust,
since they are primarily used outdoors. In this regard, the baskets
have been exposed to rain, snow, and other weather conditions. As
the baskets are made of metal, the weather conditions tend to lead
to the formation of rust. Eventually, excessive oxidation can
destroy or otherwise render the basket unsuitable for its intended
purpose. The integrity of the basket can deteriorate to the point
where it becomes useless, and must then be replaced.
Another disadvantage of metal wire baskets is that should the welds
be defective, the wire joints can be dislodged. As a result, the
basket then looses the structural integrity, and may break apart.
Such a basket must then be repaired or probably replaced.
Also, metal wire baskets carried on the golf ball range pickers
were not supported securely on the range picker. The front points
of support on the basket may be susceptible to bending and failing
over time.
Mounting the baskets in a side by side arrangement securely on the
range picker has created another problem. The closely spaced
baskets would be difficult or awkward to lift manually out of the
range picker basket support frame. This would be particularly
troublesome when the baskets are heavily loaded with golf balls.
When attempting to release the loaded baskets from the range picker
basket support frame, a person could inadvertently spill some of
the balls out of the basket. At the very least, such baskets would
be awkward to lift from the range picker support frame, and thus
not very convenient to use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of this invention and the manner of attaining them
will become apparent, and the invention itself will be best
understood by reference to the following description of certain
embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front pictorial view of a plastic open frame basket
constructed according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a front pictorial view of the plastic open frame basket
of FIG. 1 constructed according to an embodiment of the
invention;
FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of a pair of the plastic open frame
baskets of FIG. 1 supported by the range picker support frame;
and
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the plastic open frame basket
of FIG. 1,
FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the plastic open frame basket
of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the plastic open frame basket
of FIG. 1,
FIG. 7 is a top view of the plastic open frame basket of FIG.
1;
FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the plastic open frame basket of FIG.
1;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the plastic open frame basket of FIG.
1;
FIG. 10 is a pictorial view of a pair of the plastic open frame
baskets of FIG. 1 with one basket stacked on top of the other
basket; and
FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the interlocking portion of the
stacked baskets of FIG. 10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
It will be readily understood that the components of the
embodiments as generally described and illustrated in the drawings
herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of
different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed
description of the embodiments of the system, components and method
of the present invention, as represented in the drawings, is not
intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is
merely representative of the embodiments of the invention.
There is disclosed a method and a basket for use with a golf ball
range picker having a support frame. The basket may include a pair
of inwardly offset handles in the basket side walls for ease of
lifting when a series of two or more like baskets are arranged in a
closely spaced side by side configuration. A pair of front vertical
edges of front side wall sections are each tapered outwardly toward
the front to minimize or at least greatly reduce the surface area
formed by abutting vertical edges of the pair of baskets, to help
guide the golf balls being thrown by the range picker into the
baskets, and not deflect them inadvertently away from entering the
baskets by otherwise providing thick abutting vertical edges which
could block the path of travel of the golf balls. A front flange is
disposed substantially along the entire length of the front of the
basket for resting securely on a front portion of the support
frame, and a rear flange is adapted for resting securely on a back
portion of the support frame.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention,
there is provided a plastic open frame basket that may include a
substantially rectangular in cross section vertical wall structure
and a bottom wall integrally connected to the vertical wall
structure. The vertical wall structure may include a front wall, a
rear wall, and a pair of side walls. The front wall may include a
bottom portion integrally connected to the bottom wall and the side
walls. A rectangular opening is disposed above the front bottom
portion for admitting the golf balls being thrown by the range
picker into the basket. An elongated front flange defines
substantially the entire length of the bottom of the opening, and
is adapted to rest on top of a front portion of the range picker
support frame. The rear wall may include an elongated rear flange
adapted to rest on top of a rear portion of the range picker
support frame to support the basket between the front and rear
flanges. Each of the side walls may include an inwardly disposed
offset handle section and an outwardly tapered forward section
integrally connected to the front wall. Each of the handle sections
may be disposed inwardly of the front tapered sections. Each
outwardly tapered section may be adapted to mate with another
outwardly tapered section of an adjacent like basket to form a
narrow area of engagement to facilitate receiving the golf balls
and not inadvertently deflecting them.
The plastic construction may provide a lighter weight basket that
minimizes the total weight of the golf range picker, reduces the
energy required during operation of the golf range picker, and
reduces the handling weight of the baskets for the range personnel.
The baskets of the present invention may be composed of suitable
thermoplastic or thermoset material to enable the basket to be
molded in a cost efficient manner, and yet be structurally strong.
Presently, polypropylene material is preferred, but other suitable
materials may also be employed.
A further embodiment of the invention relates to the method of
making a plastic basket for a golf ball range picker. The method
includes molding a one-piece generally rectangular open top basket,
and includes the step of molding the side walls with a pair of
inwardly off set handle sections each having finger grip openings.
The method also includes molding a pair of outwardly tapered
sections integrally connected to the handle sections. The method
further includes molding elongated front and rear flanges for
engaging respective front and rear portions of a range picker
support bar.
Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 through 9 of the drawings, there
is shown a plastic open frame basket, which is constructed in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention and is
generally indicated at 10. The basket 10 is preferably used with a
golf ball range picker for collecting and transporting a quantity
of golf balls (not shown). However, it will become apparent to
those skilled in the art that the basket 10 may also be used for
other applications, such as for collecting and transporting a
quantity of food products such as fruits or vegetables, or for
other applications.
The basket 10 has an open top and an open frame construction and
has a one-piece construction. The basket 10 may be generally
rectangular in horizontal cross section, but other shapes may be
employed. The basket 10 includes vertical wall structure 12 and an
inwardly dished convex base or bottom wall 14 to help rigidify and
strengthen the basket 10, which form an interior space 15 for
collection and storing golf balls. The vertical wall structure 12
may include a front wall 16, a rear wall 18, a pair of side walls
21, 23, and a pair of rounded rear corners 25, 27. The bottom wall
14 may include a generally cylindrical hollow spacer 17 for helping
support the bottom wall 14 when the loaded basket rests on a
supporting (not shown) and the convex or dished bottom wall sags
downwardly under the weight of the golf balls (not shown) to engage
the supporting surface for limiting further sagging. A peripheral
edge 19 of the bottom wall has a radius to promote gliding along
the ground and to resist catching on the ground and damage from off
axis impacts.
As shown in FIG. 3, the basket 10 may be configured to rest in a
golf ball range picker support frame 29 adjacent to a series on one
or more like baskets such as a second like basket 32 to rest side
by side as a pair. Each basket may include an upper finger grip
handle such as handle 33 (FIG. 1) spaced from an upper handle 35
(FIG. 3) of the adjacent basket 32.
The front wall 16 may include a bottom portion 34 having an open
frame construction, a rectangular opening 36 for admitting the golf
balls into the basket 10, and an elongated front flange 38 defining
substantially the entire length of the bottom of the opening 36. As
best seen in FIGS. 3 and 9, the front flange 38 may include a
convex-shaped upper surface portion 41 to provide a smoothly
contoured non-blunt surface for the golf balls to glide over into
the basket 10 and a concave-shaped lower portion 43 to improve the
durability and strength of the flange 38 for receiving the range
picker support frame 29 along a continuous line of engagement
therewith. The front flange 38 may overlie a substantial portion of
a front crossbeam 45 of the range picker support frame 29 as shown
in FIG. 3.
The rear wall 18 may include a bottom portion 47 having an open
frame construction and a outwardly projecting rear flange section
49 for resting on a portion of a rear crossbeam 52 of the range
picker support frame 29 (FIG. 3). The rear flange section 49 may be
U-shaped in horizontal cross section and include a solid base
portion 54 and a U-shaped vertical wall portion 56 having a
generally open frame construction. The solid base portion 54 may
include a radius 57 to improve durability of the flange section
49.
The side walls 21 and 23 may be substantially mirror-images of one
another, and therefore only the right side wall 21 will be
described in greater detail. The right side wall 21 may include an
inwardly disposed offset handle section 58 and an outwardly tapered
section 61, both of which having substantially an open frame
construction.
The handle section 58 of the side wall 21 may include an upper
handle 63 for lifting the basket 10, a lower open frame portion 65
directly below the upper handle 63, and a pair of rib members 67,
69 disposed substantially along the entire length of each edge of
the handle section 58 to strengthen the side wall 21 and allow the
stacking of a like basket 32 on top of the basket 10 as shown in
FIG. 10 by having the bottom ends of the ribs rest on and snugly
engage the top surface of the handle section of the like basket. As
shown in FIG. 11, the handle section 58 of the basket 10 may
include a recessed area 121 having a pair of ends 123, 125 and a
base 127. The basket 32 may be stacked on top of basket 10 by
interlocking the ribs 134, 136 of the handle section 132 of the
basket 32 with the recessed area 121 of the basket 10, such that
the ends 138, 141 of the ribs 134, 136 rest on the base 127 and
adjacent to the ends 123, 125, respectively. The upper handle 63
may include a finger grip opening 71 for gripping the basket 10 for
lifting and/or transporting.
The tapered section 61 of the side wall 21 may include a lower
portion 72 integrally connected to the bottom portion 34 of the
front wall 16 and an upper portion 74 having a front vertical edge
76 adjacent to the opening 36. The tapered section 61 may be angled
outwardly from the handle section 58 to help deflect golf balls
into the basket 10. The front tapered edges such as the right edge
76 and the left tapered edge 77 of the adjacent basket 31 (FIG. 3)
are designed to mate when disposed side by side to minimize or
greatly reduce the front surface area when the two baskets are
arranged side by side as shown in FIG. 3.
The rear rounded corners 25 and 27 may also be substantially
mirror-images of one another, and therefore only the right corner
25 may be described in greater detail. The right corner 25 may have
an open frame construction and integrally join the right side wall
21 with the rear wall 18. The right corner 25 may have a radius
that in cooperation with the tapered section 61 help provide for
the inward offset of the handle section 58. As shown in FIG. 3,
when two baskets are arranged in a side by side manner, the
adjacent corners and tapered sections may be in contact allowing an
opening 81 between the two offset handle sections of sufficient
size to allow the convenient insertion of a user's fingers
therebetween to access the handle portions even if both baskets are
full of golf balls. This arrangement facilitates greatly the manual
lifting of the basket from the support frame with little or no
disruption of an adjacent basket.
The height of the rear wall 18, the side walls 21, 23, and the
corners 25, 27 of the vertical wall structure 12 may all be
substantially the same, while the height of the front wall may be
substantially one-half the height of the other walls and rear
corners. A reinforced rib section 83 may be disposed along the top
of the rear wall 18, the side walls 21, 23, and the corners 25, 27
of the vertical wall structure 12 for added strength to minimize
deflection when the basket 10 is lifted or carried.
The open frame construction of the vertical wall structure 12 may
include a plurality of rectilinear, smoothly contoured longitudinal
rib members, such as longitudinal rib members 85, 87, and 89, which
are integrally connected between the bottom wall 14 and the rim
section 83, and a plurality of cross rib members, such as cross rib
members 92, 94, and 96, which are integrally connected between
adjacent longitudinal rib members, such as longitudinal rib members
85 and 87, and 87 and 89.
As best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the inwardly dished base or
bottomwall 14 may have an open frame construction. The base wall 14
may include a central hub member 101, an outer edge portion 105,
and a plurality of radiating spoke members, such as spoke members
107, 109, and 112 disposed therebetween. A plurality of curved base
cross members, such as base cross members 114 and 116, may be
disposed between adjacent spoke members 107 and 109, and spoke
members 109 and 112, may be aligned to define a full or partial
concentric base rings, such as concentric base ring 118. The spacer
17 may be centrally disposed on the central hub 101, and depend
therefrom by a suitable distance spaced from the outer periphery of
the bottom wall 14.
It is to be understood that the dimensions of the baskets may be
altered to conform to size and configuration of the range picker or
other appropriate device.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been
disclosed, it is to be understood that various different
modifications are passing and one contemplated within the true
spirit and scope of the appended claims. There is no intention,
therefore, of limitations to the exact abstract or disclosure
herein presented.
* * * * *
References